Who doesn’t love a bit of chicken katsu?

Originating from Japan, chicken katsu is also known as panko chicken, or tori katsu (torikatsu (鶏カツ)) and is authentically chicken covered in panko breadcrumbs served with curry sauce. The dish has been made even more popular by the restaurant chain Wagamama, and my children usually love to order this if we ever visit. More recently they have introduced a ‘naked’ Katsu (chicken without the breadcrumbs and not deep fried).

This led me to thinking it would be easy to create a healthy version of the crumbed chicken, (which is not deep fried) and baked in the oven – served in a wrap with salad and some homemade curry sauce, my idea came together creating a perfect dish for a light and (relatively) healthy version of chicken katsu.

When I came to building the wraps, I included a variety of exotic leaves, some spicy mayonnaise, grated carrot, sliced radish and some slivers of sushi ginger. You could use any salad items or sauces of your choice here. Opt for wholemeal wraps for a healthier option. For a vegetarian version, use tofu or quorn.

Ingredients

For the katsu chicken:

1 small chicken breast per person

1 medium egg, beaten in a shallow bowl

6-8 Tablespoons of panko breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

salt and pepper

For the curry sauce:

1 tbs olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic crushed

4cm cube of ginger finely chopped

400ml tin of coconut milk or carton of coconut cream

1 tbs curry powder

1/2 teas turmeric

100ml water

1 tbs honey

To serve:

wholemeal wraps

salad leaves

sliced radish

grated carrot

sushi ginger

mayonnaise or peri-peri mayonnaise

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees c

Beat the egg in a shallow bowl

Put the breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl and stir in the smoked paprika, salt and pepper

Slice the chicken breasts into thin fillets and add to the beaten egg. Coat well.

Using just one hand or a fork, place each fillet into the breadcrumbs and coat well.

Place onto a lined baking tray in a single layer.

Once all the chicken is coated, place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20-30 mins until golden and crispy.

In the meantime, make the curry sauce: Finely chop the onion and add to a pan with 1 tbs olive oil. Brown until caramelised.

Stir in the garlic, ginger and carrot. Coat with the oil and cook for a further minute.

Add your coconut milk or cream and the water. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Cook until the carrot is tender and the sauce has reduced slightly. This can now be cooled and blended with a hand blender and it’s ready to serve.

To compile the wraps, spread each one with your desired mayonnaise and place 2 fillets on top. Next add your salad garnish and finish with a spoon or two of the curry sauce. Roll up the wraps and serve with extra leaves and sauce.